Itzhak Perlman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Itzhak Perlman
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| יצחק פרלמן | |
Perlman in 1984
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| Born | August 31, 1945 |
| Nationality |
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| Occupation | Violinist |
| Spouse(s) |
Toby Friedlander
(m. 1967) |
| Children | 5 |
Itzhak Perlman (born August 31, 1945) is a world-famous Israeli-American violinist. He has played his violin all over the world, including special events like a dinner at the White House for Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. He also performed at the ceremony when Barack Obama became president in 2009.
Beyond playing, Perlman has also led famous orchestras, such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has won many important awards, including 16 Grammy Awards (which are like music Oscars!) and four Emmy Awards for television. In 2015, he received a very special award called the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2025, a record company called Deutsche Grammophon released a special collection of 25 of his recordings to celebrate his 80th birthday.
Contents
A Life in Music: Itzhak Perlman
Early Years and Inspiration
Perlman was born in Tel Aviv on August 31, 1945. His parents, Chaim and Shoshana Perlman, were Jewish people from Poland. They moved to Mandatory Palestine in the 1930s before they met and married.
When he was four, he got sick with polio, which affected his legs. Since then, he has used leg braces and crutches to walk, and he plays the violin while sitting down. Today, he uses crutches or an electric scooter to get around.
At age three, Perlman heard a violin concert on the radio. It made him want to play the violin himself! His mother bought him a toy violin, and he quickly taught himself simple songs. His parents tried to enroll him in a music school, but he couldn't join because he was too small to hold a violin. Even with his challenges, he began learning the violin a year later. His first teacher was a violinist who played in a café.
At age five, Perlman was accepted into the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He studied there for eight years and played his first big concert at age ten. At 13, he moved to the United States to study at the famous Juilliard School in New York City. He learned from great teachers like Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay.
Becoming a Star Violinist
Perlman became famous across the country when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show twice in 1958, when he was just 13. He even shared the stage with the Rolling Stones on the show in 1964! His performances included exciting pieces like Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee.
With help from a group called the Zionist Organization of America, Perlman began touring cities in the U.S. and Canada. He quickly became known as a top violin player. He made his first performance at the famous Carnegie Hall in 1963. He also won the Leventritt Competition, an important music contest, in 1964.
Perlman performed with many major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared on popular TV shows like The Tonight Show and even Sesame Street!
Famous Performances
While he often plays by himself, Perlman has also performed with many other amazing musicians. These include cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Isaac Stern. He has explored different types of music too, like jazz, klezmer (a type of Jewish folk music), and bluegrass music.
He played the violin for famous movie soundtracks, like the theme from the 1993 film Schindler's List. This music, composed by John Williams, won an Academy Award! He was also the violin soloist for the 2005 movie Memoirs of a Geisha, playing alongside Yo-Yo Ma. He performed music from movies nominated for 'Best Original Score' at the Academy Awards.
Playing for Presidents and Queens
Perlman played for Queen Elizabeth II at a special dinner at the White House in 2007.
He performed a piece called "Air and Simple Gifts" at President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony in 2009. He played with Yo-Yo Ma and other musicians. Even though they played live, the music heard on TV was a recording made earlier. This was because the cold weather could have damaged their precious instruments. Perlman said it was a good idea to do it that way!
In 2018, he celebrated the 60th anniversary of his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show by appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Sharing His Talent: Teaching Music
In 1975, Perlman became a teacher at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College. Later, in 2003, he became a special violin teacher at the Juilliard School, taking over from his own former teacher, Dorothy DeLay. He also teaches students individually at the Perlman Music Program.
The Perlman Music Program
His wife, Toby Perlman, helped start The Perlman Music Program in 1994. It began as a summer camp for talented young musicians aged 12 to 18. Now, it's a program that runs all year.
Students get to learn directly from Mr. Perlman before performing in different places. The program helps young musicians make friends and work together. Instead of practicing alone, they find a community where they belong and can grow.
His Special Violins
Perlman plays a very special violin called the Soil Stradivarius, made in 1714. It used to belong to another famous violinist, Yehudi Menuhin. This violin is considered one of the best ever made by Antonio Stradivari during his most creative time. He also plays another valuable violin, the Guarneri del Gesù 1743 'Sauret'.
Life Outside the Stage
Perlman lives in New York City with his wife, Toby. She is also a trained violinist. They met when they were students and got married in 1967. They have five children, and one of them, Navah Perlman, is a concert pianist.
He is also a distant cousin of the Canadian TV star Howie Mandel. Perlman has a unique condition called synesthesia, where senses can mix (like seeing colors when you hear music). He was even interviewed about it for a book!
Awards and Recognitions
Itzhak Perlman has received many honors and awards throughout his career:
- 1964: Leventritt Competition – Winner
- 1977: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
- 1978: Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano (w/ Vladimir Ashkenazy)
- 1978: Grammy Award for Best Classical Album: Brahms: Concerto for Violin in D
- 1980: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra): The Spanish Album
- 1980: Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance: Music for Two Violins (w/ Pinchas Zukerman)
- 1980: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): Brahms Violin and Cello Concerto (w/ Mstislav Rostropovich) (TIE)
- 1980: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): Berg: Violin Concerto / Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D (TIE)
- 1981: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): Isaac Stern 60th Anniversary Celebration (w/ Isaac Stern & Pinchas Zukerman)
- 1981: Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance: Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor (w/ Lynn Harrell & Vladimir Ashkenazy)
- 1982: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): Elgar: Violin Concerto
- 1987: Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance: Beethoven: The Complete Piano Trios (w/ Lynn Harrell & Vladimir Ashkenazy)
- 1987: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 2 and 4
- 1990: Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance: Brahms: The Three Violin Sonatas (w/ Daniel Barenboim)
- 1990: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Glazunov: Violin Concerto
- 1995: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra): The American Album — Works of Bernstein, Barber, Foss
- 1997: Elected member of the American Philosophical Society
- April 1980: Newsweek magazine featured Mr. Perlman with a cover story.
- 1986: Honored with the Medal of Liberty by President Reagan.
- 1992: Emmy Award: Outstanding Classical Program in the Performing Arts: Perlman in Russia
- 1994: Emmy Award: Outstanding Individual Achievement: Cultural Programming
- 1996: Emmy Award: Outstanding Cultural Music-Dance Program: Itzhak Perlman: In the Fiddler's House
- 1999: Emmy Award: Outstanding Classical Music-Dance Program: Itzhak Perlman: Fiddling for the Future
- 2000: Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton
- 2002: Elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2003: Kennedy Center Honors
- 2005: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Elie Wiesel.
- 2008: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2015: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama
- 2016: Awarded the Genesis Prize by the Prime Minister of Israel.
- 2017: Subject of the documentary Itzhak directed by Alison Chernick.
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See also
In Spanish: Itzhak Perlman para niños
